Hockey Beat » Injuries

Should Gustavsson Be Allowed To Play?

Jeanne Dupuis — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 07:28:35 +0000

Before he made his NHL debut, I was so excited to see what Jonas Gustavsson was going to add to the Toronto Maple Leafs roster (since they need all the help they can get) because I would like to see them become serious competitors. Unfortunately, things haven’t been very easy for the Swedish goaltender.

image: TSN

The netminder was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure after his heart started racing. Apparently, the feeling he got was similar to the problems he experienced during training camp. He underwent a procedure to correct the issue but it is possible that it didn’t work. I’ve had that same procedure done (ablation) and I had to do it three times before it was truly better.

At least head coach Ron Wilson wasn’t taking any chances and he sent the goalie to the hospital and had Joey MacDonald replace him. “I’m not going to be responsible for someone keeling over during a game,” said Wilson. “A game is not that important.”

I completely agree.

So, we’re supposed to have some sort of update tomorrow so I am hoping all will be well and he’ll be cleared to play – safely.

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Ovechkin’s Knee-on-Knee Hit Backfires

Jeanne Dupuis — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:56:08 +0000

Alexander Ovechkin is one of those star players who does sneaky, dirty things but his fans love him so much that they forgive him. You can only get away with that sort of thing for so long before karma comes back and bites you in the ass.

image: TSN

The Washington Capitals player appears to have suffered a right knee injury which will be evaluated overnight. The problem arose from a knee-on-knee collision with Carolina Hurricanes defenceman, Tim Gleason, during the first period.

I know that they are playing it down by saying he’s stiff and sore right now but he had to be helped off the ice after being on the ice for a few minutes. He was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct (for the second time in three games!).

I’m sure the Caps are hoping their cash cow is okay. So far this year, Ovie has 18 goals, 30 points and 44 penalty minutes. You won’t be surprised to learn that he’s leading the team.

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Tim Thomas Out With Broken Hand

Jeanne Dupuis — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 07:27:50 +0000

No team wants to lose a player but when it’s the goalie, especially a goaltender like Tim Thomas, it really sucks. I’m sure the Boston Bruins were not thrilled to learn that he had suffered a broken hand but they are hoping that it’s not too serious. I don’t know, though. It’s kind of a big deal for a goalie to have hand issues, isn’t it?

image: TSN

“It’s one of those injuries that we have to allow him to get better,” coach Claude Julien said. “Yet it could be something that could be cured on a day-to-day basis.”

Fortunately, they’ve got promising rookie, Tuukka Rask, to defend the team between the pipes just in case Thomas is out for a bit. Rask started for the fifth straight game against the Minnesota Wild last night. He stopped 28 shots in the 2-1 victory and I’m sure it’s no coincidence that the Bruins have won four in a row. I gotta say that Boston is pretty lucky to have two good goalies to choose from which should take some pressure off of the team if Thomas is sidelined.

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Sens Lose Goalie Leclaire to Cheek Fracture

Jeanne Dupuis — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:06:22 +0000

Goaltender, Pascal Leclaire, will need surgery to fix his fractured cheekbone after being struck in the face by a pick during the team’s win over the Washington Capitals last night. It was such a weird bounce (it hit the glass behind Ottawa’s bench and then hit him in the face) so it pretty much sucks.

image: TSN

He’ll be out of the lineup for about four weeks. No team wants to lose their starting goalie for a month so I’m sure they have high hopes for Brian Elliot who will be replacing him. Mike Brodeur has been brought up from the AHL to serve as a backup.

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Laraque Banned for 5 Games for Kronwall Hit

Jeanne Dupuis — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:56:27 +0000

Montreal Canadiens trouble maker, Georges Laraque, was allowed to plead his case (even though he phoned it in instead of flying out to meet with them in person) but, ultimately, the NHL has decided that he should be banned for five games after his knee-on-knee collision with Red Wings defenceman Niklas Kronwall over the weekend.

image: TSN

Kronwall will be out for about a month and had to be helped from the ice since he couldn’t put any weight on that left leg. He suffered a significant sprain of the medial collateral ligament. “There is no ACL damage and that’s good news,” Red Wings’ general manager Ken Holland said. “They are saying it’s between a Grade 2 and a Grade 3 sprain; Grade 3 being the most severe. So he’s out a month for sure and beyond that, it depends on how he heals.”

Laraque claims that the collision was unintentional: “There were four refs on the ice and they didn’t call anything. If they called a match penalty it would be different. There was no intent, there was no reason why I would try to go and hurt him. It was a pure accident, that’s why they called it tripping, so I’m not worried at all.”

Judge for yourself. Here’s a video of the hit:

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Columbus Puts Dorsett On Injured Reserve

Jeanne Dupuis — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:44:24 +0000

After getting hit by James Neal last Thursday, Derek Dorsett has been placed on the injured reserve by the Columbus Blue Jackets and it’s unclear when he will return to the lineup.

Neal hit him from behind and got a game misconduct but received a two-game suspension from the league a couple days later. Honestly, I don’t think it was long enough for the hit he delivered (watch it here). I swear the NHL coddles certain players…

Dorsett has one goal and three assists in 18 games this season.

image: TSN

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Canucks Getting Ready for Sedin’s Return

Jeanne Dupuis — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:57:49 +0000

It looks like Daniel Sedin is getting ready to rejoin the Vancouver Canucks lineup after missing 18 games due to a broken foot. I’m not a Canucks fan but I’m pretty happy to see him getting back on the ice. In anticipation of his return, the team has sent forward, Matt Pettinger, back to the AHL.

image: TSN

It is likely that Daniel will get to team up with his twin brother, Henrik, in tonight’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. They really are great together but Henrik has done a good job in his brothers’ absence.

Since it happened in just the fourth game of the season, it must have been weird for Henrik since this is the first time that Daniel has been out of play for a longer length of time since this is really his first serious injury.

A lot of people, myself included, wondered what would happen to Henrik but he’s proven that he’s not dependent on his brother. He already has 13 goals so it’s clear that he can do more than set up plays for Daniel.

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Neal Gets Two-Game Suspension

Jeanne Dupuis — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:03:52 +0000

A lot of hockey fans are surprised that Dallas Stars forward, James Neal, only received a two-game suspension after his hit on Columbus Blue Jackets forward, Derek Dorsett during the second period of Thursday night’s game. I’m left scratching my head about how the NHL decides how long to suspend someone.

image: TSN

The problem with the hit was that Neal came at Dorsett from behind even though his likely target was Marc Methot. He seemed to leave his feet also to make sure the hit was hard and that’s where to the trouble lies. Dorsett went face first into the glass and couldn’t get up.

I’m sorry but we need to start protecting the players better. If a crappy player or a the team’s leading scorer hits someone, they should get the same sort of punishment. I’m really tired of this preferential treatment.

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Brian Gionta Out With Broken Foot

Jeanne Dupuis — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:33:48 +0000

Winger, Brian Gionta, will be out of the Montreal Canadiens lineup indefinitely due to a broken foot. This isn’t great news for the team, obviously, but coach Jacques Martin is hoping it will inspire the rest of the Habs to step up their effort.

image: TSN

“The players will have to raise their game to try to make up for it,” coach Jacques Martin said. “It opens a door for someone. We’ve been waiting for that since the start of the season.”

Gionta is tied with fellow newcomer, Mike Cammalleri, for the most goals on the team (8) and was signed to a five-year, $25 million contract. He’s got 13 points in 19 games so I’m sure he’s going to be missed on the ice.

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Ward In Hospital After Leg Cut Open by Skate

Jeanne Dupuis — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:32:50 +0000

I hate skate injuries. They are such a reminder of how dangerous the game can really be. Carolina Hurricanes goaltender, Cam Ward, is in the hospital after his leg was cut open by the skate of Rick Nash. The injury occurred during the first period of their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

image: TSN

Ward is still in the hospital and didn’t fly home with the team after the 3-2 loss. “It’s a significant injury and all I mean by that is I don’t have any timeline,” coach Paul Maurice said. “There was a fair amount of blood on the ice. All I know it was his leg; other than that I do not know any more.”

Ward had to be helped off the ice by two trainers with blood trailing him all the way to the dressing room. He seems to be a magnate for skate blades since he got sliced up by Brad Isbister during a game in March 2007.

“It’s a scary thing to have happen,” Columbus goalie Steve Mason said. “When you see something like that happen, especially a guy like him — he’s a really nice guy off the ice — you hope everything is OK and it’s not too serious. With the amount of blood that was coming from him, it’s a pretty scary situation.”

I seriously hope that everything goes well with Ward. He was so important to the team’s playoff success last year and I felt that he was off to a decent start again. Hopefully, it’s nothing too serious and he’ll be back in the lineup in no time.

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